Prevention is hindering the occurrence of adolescent and youth reproductive health problems or slowing down their further progress if they occur. It is critical to put into practice preventive activities that enable adolescent and youth from being victims of different reproductive health problems before their occurrence. This can be done in some ways. Some of the ways are discussed in this session.

Provision of health education on adolescent and youth reproductive health

Adolescent and youth reproductive health intend to cover and focus on the youth population. It is essential to create a conducive environment to provide adequate information, skills, better living and lifestyle, etc. to the young population because of the following reasons.

• The youth age-groups in Ethiopia is about 25% of the total population.
• Information and services on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is not adequately provided.
• The majority of the female youth population in cities, towns and rural areas are associated with sex harassment and rape, unemployment, poverty, crime acts, casual sex, unwanted pregnancy, early childbearing and high-risk abortion.
• Of those people that live with HIV/AIDS, more than 50% are below the age of 25 years.
• It is necessary to create enabling conditions for the young generation to protect itself from casual sex practices, early marriage, early child bearing, etc.
• Adolescence is the beginning of exposure to practical experience in social affairs and social interactions. In general, the period lays down the foundation of life and lifestyle.
• It is a period when the young is unable to control his/her emotions and activities which in most cases violate the norms of and standards of a decent lifestyle of families and communities.
• Adolescence is also a period during which the young females are exposed to commercial sex, leave school due to different reasons, uses addictive substances such as alcohol, some plants and drugs, and break away from families due to misbehaviour.

Provision of education on the development changes during adolescence

You have learned what developmental changes in both males and females in the previous session of this module. Developmental changes occur in any young person but the age at which the manifestations of the changes are different from one young person to the other. Provision of education on these changes during adolescence is helpful to understand the condition and know what is going on in their lives physically and behaviorally.

Education on adolescent reproductive health problems

First of all, it is important to make a rapid assessment to know about the prevailing adolescent reproductive health problems by type. Then discuss the problems with the communities to draw common interventions and solutions. The rural youth is mostly exposed to various health problems because they often travel to marketplaces in nearby small towns. Here, they are easily caught by alcoholic drinks and commercial sex workers, and it is likely that they are exposed to reproductive health problems.